Mountaineers Welcome Decorated Alums for Team-Building Day
October 04, 2018 09:23 AM | Men's Swimming & Diving, Women's Swimming & Diving
Setting the tone at the start of any season is a very important endeavor for a team with high expectations and lots of enthusiasm.
That's why the West Virginia University men's and women's swimming and diving teams are bringing in a few special alumni to aid in that process. Enter John Havlik and Bill Treasurer.
The two former teammates and friends will be stopping by Morgantown this Friday to speak with the Mountaineers and help in the team's season kickoff. Havlik and Treasurer will be traveling in to meet with the group and offer their thoughts on leadership and commitment in motivational fashion.
The duo has worked together in the past, and they even co-wrote a book, The Leadership Killer, which focuses on how arrogance and ego can get in the way of good leadership. The book is set to be released on Oct. 30.
"These are such formative years, it's a really formative time in your life," Treasurer said on the college experience. "It was such a profoundly important experience for John and me, so it's like a give-back moment for us. We're loyal Mountaineers, and I think we realize we're at that give-back stage in our lives."
Havlik, a WVU Sports Hall of Famer and member of the Mountaineer Legends Society, was a three-time NCAA Championships qualifier and co-captained the program's first undefeated, untied campaign in 1980. He was WVU's first U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier before serving more than three decades in the Navy, many of them as a SEAL – the Navy's most elite special operations force.
Treasurer, meanwhile, was the first full-scholarship diver in WVU history, and he co-captained the 1983 and 1984 teams. A two-time NCAA Championships qualifier, Treasurer also was a member of the U.S. High Diving team before beginning his journey as the chief encouragement officer for Giant Leap Consulting, Inc. He's also an author, and he specializes in work with different companies to develop leadership and motivation.
"It's great to have alumni want to be involved in the success of the current team," WVU coach Vic Riggs said. "Bill and John have put together a great program together for the teams, and I know we will be a better team due to their efforts. We thank them for their involvement."
Obviously, the two decorated alumni know what it takes to be successful in the pool and on the boards. More importantly, though, they hope to provide some wisdom and encouragement for the Mountaineers' next crop of successful student-athletes.
"West Virginia has been very good to me, so if I can help the team out in any way toward having a good year, whether I talk to them or we have an event, Bill and I are always willing to give back," Havlik said. "This is really the first time doing this, and I'm very excited and hoping for a good response."
Friday's team-building event stems from some of the activities Havlik participated in during his time in the SEALs. To him, these specialized days were very impactful in developing leadership, and perhaps just as importantly, the ability to work as a team.
The Mountaineers can expect to be tested and stressed, but they'll have the opportunity to work together in the pool, on land and in the classroom to build camaraderie for the upcoming campaign.
The impact should go a long way.
"This was something we used to do in the SEALs; we'd call them Monster Mashes," said Havlik, who currently resides in Tampa, Florida. "They were just big, team-building events, and there was always a big physical training activity and some other stuff. We'd just try to do something out of the ordinary to have guys work and come together as a team in something they aren't familiar with."
While Treasurer, now based in Asheville, North Carolina, largely meets with audiences of a more corporate environment, this project is especially rewarding. For one, he gets the opportunity to return to his alma mater for an impactful moment. What's more, he'll do so by visiting what he dubbed his "passion place."
After all, he and Havlik remember the rigors of being a Division I student-athlete and the hours and hours of hard work they put into the WVU Natatorium on a daily basis. That connection alone makes Friday's event one of great pride.
"We recognize the unique responsibility of leaders on the team," Treasurer said. "They have to be a strong team, and each individual member needs to be a leader in their own right and bring that sense of leadership, and responsibility, and discipline, and focus to be being a great team member. I think it stems from John and my love for the team and WVU and wanting to honor the team by going back and sharing some of the lessons that we learned along the way."
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUSwimDive on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
That's why the West Virginia University men's and women's swimming and diving teams are bringing in a few special alumni to aid in that process. Enter John Havlik and Bill Treasurer.
The two former teammates and friends will be stopping by Morgantown this Friday to speak with the Mountaineers and help in the team's season kickoff. Havlik and Treasurer will be traveling in to meet with the group and offer their thoughts on leadership and commitment in motivational fashion.
The duo has worked together in the past, and they even co-wrote a book, The Leadership Killer, which focuses on how arrogance and ego can get in the way of good leadership. The book is set to be released on Oct. 30.
"These are such formative years, it's a really formative time in your life," Treasurer said on the college experience. "It was such a profoundly important experience for John and me, so it's like a give-back moment for us. We're loyal Mountaineers, and I think we realize we're at that give-back stage in our lives."
Havlik, a WVU Sports Hall of Famer and member of the Mountaineer Legends Society, was a three-time NCAA Championships qualifier and co-captained the program's first undefeated, untied campaign in 1980. He was WVU's first U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier before serving more than three decades in the Navy, many of them as a SEAL – the Navy's most elite special operations force.
Treasurer, meanwhile, was the first full-scholarship diver in WVU history, and he co-captained the 1983 and 1984 teams. A two-time NCAA Championships qualifier, Treasurer also was a member of the U.S. High Diving team before beginning his journey as the chief encouragement officer for Giant Leap Consulting, Inc. He's also an author, and he specializes in work with different companies to develop leadership and motivation.
"It's great to have alumni want to be involved in the success of the current team," WVU coach Vic Riggs said. "Bill and John have put together a great program together for the teams, and I know we will be a better team due to their efforts. We thank them for their involvement."
Obviously, the two decorated alumni know what it takes to be successful in the pool and on the boards. More importantly, though, they hope to provide some wisdom and encouragement for the Mountaineers' next crop of successful student-athletes.
"West Virginia has been very good to me, so if I can help the team out in any way toward having a good year, whether I talk to them or we have an event, Bill and I are always willing to give back," Havlik said. "This is really the first time doing this, and I'm very excited and hoping for a good response."
Friday's team-building event stems from some of the activities Havlik participated in during his time in the SEALs. To him, these specialized days were very impactful in developing leadership, and perhaps just as importantly, the ability to work as a team.
The Mountaineers can expect to be tested and stressed, but they'll have the opportunity to work together in the pool, on land and in the classroom to build camaraderie for the upcoming campaign.
The impact should go a long way.
"This was something we used to do in the SEALs; we'd call them Monster Mashes," said Havlik, who currently resides in Tampa, Florida. "They were just big, team-building events, and there was always a big physical training activity and some other stuff. We'd just try to do something out of the ordinary to have guys work and come together as a team in something they aren't familiar with."
While Treasurer, now based in Asheville, North Carolina, largely meets with audiences of a more corporate environment, this project is especially rewarding. For one, he gets the opportunity to return to his alma mater for an impactful moment. What's more, he'll do so by visiting what he dubbed his "passion place."
After all, he and Havlik remember the rigors of being a Division I student-athlete and the hours and hours of hard work they put into the WVU Natatorium on a daily basis. That connection alone makes Friday's event one of great pride.
"We recognize the unique responsibility of leaders on the team," Treasurer said. "They have to be a strong team, and each individual member needs to be a leader in their own right and bring that sense of leadership, and responsibility, and discipline, and focus to be being a great team member. I think it stems from John and my love for the team and WVU and wanting to honor the team by going back and sharing some of the lessons that we learned along the way."
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUSwimDive on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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